The Jaguares and Lions will go head to head in the final match of Round 1 of the new Super Rugby season. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of what promises to be a thrilling match starting from 10:00am (AEDT).

The home side are 2019’s defeated finalists and will be desperate to get back into the grand final again this year to see if they can go that one step further. The Lions, who had a disappointing 2019, will know that an away win over the favourites for the South African conference would be a fantastic start to the season.

There are many who have commented that the Jaguares have suffered relatively few losses from their playing squad after the World Cup but when you look at the names you can see an incredible amount of talent and experience has flown the nest. The likes of Pablo Matera, Tomas Lavanini, Juan Manuel Leguizamon, Santiago García Botta, Enrique Pieretto, Ramiro Moyano and Martín Landajo have all left. Yet expectations are high for the Jaguares in 2020.

There is an added complication, though, for coach Gonzalo Quesada this year. Off the back of disappointing performances, Argentina are currently tenth in the world rankings and they need that to improve to ensure they get preferable treatment for the 2023 World Cup groups. That could require key players for the Jaguares needing to be rested at times to protect them for international duty, which could be at odds with the Jags’ ambitions to get back into the finals.

For the Lions, this is a very tough start to the season. The Jags are a good side and having to travel to Argentina for Round 1 is no one’s preferred schedule. Some of the team’s Springboks are also yet to return to first-team duty making this match an even more daunting prospect.

Elton Jantjies will wear the skipper’s armband and his team will need a man-of-the-match performance from him. New team members Dan Kriel and Carlu Sadie will be wanting to make a good first impression having moved from the Stormers, so keep an eye on them.

Prediction
Neither team is at full strength and both will be hoping to find some quick rhythm and momentum in this game. The Jags have lost talent but are still a tough proposition, even more so at home. The Lions just don’t look to have what it takes on paper to get the job done in this one.

Jaguares by eight.

Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of what promises to be a thrilling match starting from 8:40am (AEDT) on Sunday.